Portraits in Motion

Volker Gerling is a master of flipbooks. Since 2003 he has walked 3,500km across Germany, creating flipbook portraits of the people he met along the way, and inviting others to visit his travelling “thumb cinema”. Here, Gerling displays some of his favourite portraits by holding each under a video camera so that its moving images can be projected onto a screen. In a series of enchanting moments, the portraits come to life as Gerling shares the heart-warming stories behind each encounter.

Created and performed by Volker Gerling.

Total Theatre Award Winner 2015 for Innovation, Experimentation and Playing with form.

★★★★ “Uniquely heart-warming.” – The Times

★★★★ “Quirky delight….one of those shows you hope to stumble across, an oddity and a revelation” – Financial Times

“It’s an incredibly unassuming, warm hour and reminds us that getting out and having direct contact with everyday life and everyday people can not only be a way to finance art but also be its rocket fuel.” – The Guardian

“A little gem that lets you see the world a little differently. Just delightful.” – What’s On Stage

★★★★ “With the perfect balance of sincerity and humour, Gerling presents his humble but mesmerising work…His enthusiasm is infectious, to the point where everyone in the room is equally infatuated with the extraordinarily power of the flip-book.” – The Skinny